Marine Bobby Thrailkill a Michigan State sports fan who puts life in right perspective

Lance Cpl. Robert "Bobby" Thrailkill Jr. is a Michigan State fan who has the right perspective on life.

He doesn’t care if the team and players are not living up to expectations. Wins and losses in the Big Ten Conference mean nothing to him. He is just glad he can still watch his favorite college team play basketball.

At the end of the day, Thrailkill is just happy to be alive and be able to hold his 4-month-old son in his arms.

Thrailkill’s amazing comeback journey came my way on Veteran’s Day last year, via a touching tribute written by his uncle, Thomas Waite, on Facebook.

That day, I discovered a teenager who loved family, MSU, the Detroit Lions and his country, and could inspire me to be a better man.

Thrailkill’s story is one of courage, honor and duty that makes you proud to be an Amercian.

Thrailkill is a 19-year-old Marine from Pentwater who was on a foot patrol in Afghanistan at the end of October, when he came across a roadside bomb.

He motioned to his fellow Marines to step back. The explosion from the bomb ripped through Bobby’s body, tore away both his legs and severely injured his arm and mid section of his body. As Bobby clung to life in the desert sand of a country so far away from his newborn son in Pentwater, his only thought was to live for his infant son.

Medics would save his life, but not his legs. Soon, he was back on American soil at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to begin rehabilitaiton.

We are talking about a teenager who literally has the fighting spirit for his country, and a will to live that most of us never will be able to understand. This is a special man whose story people need to know.

Once I told Thrailkill’s story on my radio show on Veteran’s Day and found out he was an MSU and Lions fan, listeners sent cards, letters and Spartans and Lions gear to his hospital room back East.

The outpouring of support for Thrailkill touched his heart and kept that amazing spirit to live alive during the holidays.

I have kept in contact with Thrailkill on Facebook. His appreciation for how the people of Michigan have supported him always makes me forget the so-called problems in my life.

How can I get upset about little things when Thrailkill is getting fitted for prosthetic legs? He still can make me smile in a Facebook message about the good day he had in physical rehabilitation.

Thrailkill is like thousands of Americans who have something special in their DNA that will make them sacrifice their bodies, and sometimes their lives, for love of country. That gives us the freedom to watch that MSU or Lions game and cheer or complain about the final score that day.

My heart aches for Thrailkill but, at the same time, I respect him for what he did for this country.

He makes me feel good about the youth of America, and that not all teenagers are on a self-serving mission with little meaning.

I never have met Thrailkill, but hope to some day soon.

I interviewed him on the radio Friday, and his 19-year-old voice sounded like that of a man who had seen and done a lot, and has great purpose.

Thrailkill’s will to live is for his son. He is special. No doubt about it. Someone has a plan for this young man.

It was nice on Super Bowl Sunday that Bobby had the chance to wrap up his first visit back home in Pentwater since the injury, spend time with his family and hold his son.

Thrailkill’s love of family and country, and how he has handled the past four months of his life, will always stick with me.

I hope his story inspires others to understand the important things in life. Thrailkill still loves MSU and his Lions, no matter how many games or trophies they win.

At the end of the day, those are just games people play. Thrailkill understands what is really important and is out there living life to the fullest every day, even though he lost his legs less than four months ago.﻿